


Nightmares and Comforting

by disneyprincekeagan (kellylynnlynn)



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Comforting, Nightmares, These two deserve more fanfic, i love their relationship so much, jackie secretly loves the doctor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 02:11:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11864466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kellylynnlynn/pseuds/disneyprincekeagan
Summary: The Doctor has nightmares, which are normally kept silent when he finally sleeps in the TARDIS, but what happens when he sleeps at the Tyler's house?





	Nightmares and Comforting

_Fire so much fire, screams from both friends and strangers, along with cries of "exterminate". He was running, where to? Rassilon only knew, but he had to get away._

_"Grandfather!" Susan, where was Susan? No, this didn't make any sense, she should be with-_

_His thoughts abruptly cut off at another scream, his granddaughter._

_Arcadia was falling, his family, his friends, they were falling with it. Oh Rassilon, he was alone. Alone in the universe._

 

Jackie woke up to a gasping breath, just outside her room, the living room! Was someone breaking in? No, the Doctor was staying over. Then what was that gasping noise?

Being a mother, she automatically recognized the sounds of someone crying silently. When a child cries, it's because they want attention, because they're hurt or afraid. When they cry silently it's because they can't stop. Any parent knows that.

Before she could lose her nerve, she slowly pushed open her bedroom door and walked over to her living room, into the saddest scene she had ever seen.

The normally bubbly and happy doctor, a sharp contrast to his last regeneration, was sitting up on her couch. His hand covering his eyes and his breathing unsteady.

She shook herself and walked over to her son in law, or he may as well have been, if the looks Rose and him gave each other was anything to go off of.

She slowly walked toward him, sitting down next to him on the couch, letting him make the first move.

He slowly removed his hands from his eyes, giving Jackie the most heartbreaking look she had ever seen. He had never looked older than in those very moments, entirely too old eyes for his young body; eyes that had seen entirely too much.

"Sorry," he gasped out, furiously wiping his eyes.

"Don't apologize, sweetheart." She pulled him into a hug, giving him plenty of time to move away if he wanted to.

"Nightmares," he whispered, his voice hoarse already. He was shaking like a leaf in a storm, and he looked about as destroyed as a child left in one.

"Doctor-" she started.

"Just, call me Theta, please, just for now," he asked, his voice breaking on the last word.

She had to hold back a gasp at the new information, had he just told her his name? She quickly shook off her surprise, he didn't need her freaking out right now, he just needed someone to comfort him.

"Okay, Theta. Whatever happened in the nightmare can't hurt you anymore, I promise. I'm here for you." She rubbed circles in his back, his sobs finally slowing down.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, knowing fully she was on thin ice.

He took a deep breath before speaking, "Arcadia. The safest city on Gallifrey," he gave a bitter laugh, "I was there when it fell. My granddaughter, she was called back to Gallifrey for the Time War, I should've known. I should've protected her. She was so young, I-" his voice cut off again, new tears flowing.

Once again, the Doctor- no, Theta, had managed to shock her. Not only had he had children, but grandchildren. He had a family. No wonder he was so against "domestics", he probably can't even look at them without seeing his family he had lost.

"Oh, Theta," she whispered, pulling him back into their hug. For once, she was speechless.

"I'm sorry," he whispered back, ashamed of his behavior, "Sorry."

"What have I said about apologizing?" She asked, desperate to at least make him smile.

She succeeded in getting a weak smile from him, a shell of his former beaming smile that could've lit up the entire galaxy. Still, it was something.

"2.4 billion," he muttered, and Jackie almost didn't hear him.

"What was that?" She asked.

"That's how many children I killed when I destroyed Gallifrey." He pulled away from her, expecting her look of disgust, when instead he got a look of complete sadness.

"Love, Rose told me what you did. She told me how brave you are, and she didn't leave out what you did to your planet. She told me what you're not telling me, you saved the universe. The pepper pots would've destroyed the universe. You've saved so many more children, and you're clearly destroying yourself. I think Susan would be proud of you."

He sucked in a breath, more tears springing to his eyes. He didn't deserve her compassion, he had taken her daughter away from her because he didn't want to be alone. How could she care for him at all?

"I know what you're thinking," she said, "and you deserve so much more than the universe has given you. You've made my Rose happier than I've ever seen her, and I owe you so much for that."

He avoided her eyes again, "I'm just a selfish old man."

"How old are time lord supposed to live?" She suddenly asked.

"Nobody really knows, it depends how you use your regenerations. About seven thousand years?" He said, "Well, supposedly, each regeneration should last about a thousand years, give or take a few hundred years."

"How many regenerations have you had?"

"Jackie, I don't exactly lead the safest life. Even before the Time War, I was out looking for danger." He tried to give her a charming smile, but she wasn't letting up, "I'm on my tenth."

"How many do you get?"

"Next two will be my last," he whispered.

"Seven thousand years, nine hundred is just a child," she said.

He winced, "I'm really not."

"Fine, young. Too young..." she trailed off.

"Sometimes I think Time Lords live too long-" he started.

"Never say that, never again. You've saved too many people to consider yourself as someone that's lived too long. You have too many people that love you," she argued, her stubbornness shining through.

"Jackie, I..." he trailed off, his voice choking up again.

"You don't need to say anything, love. Just remember, if you have anymore nightmares, come to me. I don't care what time it is, whenever." She kissed his forehead, walking off to her room.

And for once, the Doctor slept without any nightmares.

 

At breakfast the next morning, the doctor was up bright and early, making banana pancakes.

Rose slowly woke up and walked to the kitchen where the Doctor had already made coffee, toast, and bacon.

"You're brilliant," she muttered, making him smile a bit.

"What have you done to my kitchen?" Jackie asked, looking at the almost disaster area that used to be her kitchen.

"Mum, he's made food. Leave it until we've eaten, please," Rose begged.

Jackie and the Doctor looked at each other, and a moment of understanding passed. They wouldn't talk about last night, and as far as either of them were concerned nothing happened, but they knew their relationship had changed.

"Just this once, martian," she said, sitting down and piling the food on a plate.

"I'm not from Mars," he whined, but sat down with them all the same.

And for the first time in years, the Doctor had a proper family. 


End file.
